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Manchester City are bemused and angry after the FA demanded that Roberto Mancini explain his comments about Kevin Friend, the referee, in the wake of the Barclays Premier League champions’ defeat away to Sunderland.

Mancini had suggested, in his post-match interview, that the official “ate too much for Christmas” after Friend failed to spot an apparent foul on Pablo Zabaleta in the build-up to Sunderland’s winning goal.

The FA wrote to the City manager yesterday to ask for his observations on his remarks — the usual prelude to a hearing and an inevitable charge for improper conduct.